In Konoha: Three Choices at the Start

The Tailed Beast Bomb gathering in the Nine-Tails' mouth vanished at once.

Boom!

A violent tremor shook the ground, and a towering blaze lit up the distance.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Whoosh!

A white coat billowed in the wind, and golden hair swayed back and forth.

Minato Namikaze appeared before them, covered in wounds.

"Minato!"

"Fourth Hokage!"

The Konoha Ninja erupted in cheers.

Minato nodded to them, then flashed to the Nine-Tails. He activated Flying Thunder God, and in the next instant, man and fox vanished from sight.

On a rooftop, Liuyun watched with a somber expression. "Minato's made his preparations?"

"Ding! Copy successful. Congratulations, host! You have successfully copied the Nine-Tails!"

Liuyun put the copy card back in his bag and vanished.

On a dark, open stretch of ground,

Minato held Reiko in his arms. Both wore smiles as they looked down at the wailing baby nestled against them.

A black-and-blue pendant hung around the baby's neck.

Behind Minato loomed the enormous, spectral figure of the Death God.

"Death God! Take my soul in exchange for sealing the Nine-Tails!"

Minato showed no fear in the face of death.

Soon, the Nine-Tails' vast, sinister Chakra poured without end into the baby's belly.

Another stream of that evil Chakra flowed into Minato's belly!

Minato then placed seal after seal on the baby's stomach: the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams...

By the time he finished, Minato was barely alive.

"Why go this far? You're smart enough to know what the pendant I gave you was for."

Space swirled, and Liuyun stepped out, a complicated look in his eyes.

"Hahaha! Maybe I'm just too lazy. I want to leave everything to Naruto!"

"I hope he grows up to be even stronger than you!"

Minato looked at Liuyun with the same